


You Are Enough

by FanFicReader01



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Implied abuse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shadows - Freeform, Violence, maybe a bit ooc, mention of cole anderson, shadows are like doubles of the persons they're attached to
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 03:59:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14845289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicReader01/pseuds/FanFicReader01
Summary: When we grew up,Our shadows grew up too.But they’re just old ghostsThat we grow attached to.The tragic flaw is that they hide the truth~ Sleeping At Last - You Are EnoughorA few drabbles about some characters and their shadows. Drabbles are in no particular order and not really chronologically either





	1. Without our darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Lol, only got into the fandom recently and played the game for 2 or so hours so sorry if it's rather ooc. Also it's been way too long since i've written things :P
> 
> Anyway, I got inspired by the beautiful song from SAL and now we're here.  
> One should see the shadows as some sort of 'other version' of the person themselves. It doesn't necessarily mean to be the dark, bad side of that person however.  
> The shadows have a somewhat consciousness on their own, altho their actions can obviously be directly be controlled by their human/android owners.  
> Maybe try to imagine it a bit like the shadow from doc Facilier from Disney's The Princess and the Frog (that was the other half of my inspiration after all)  
> Sorry if this concept is vague and difficult to grasp ><

Kara watched as Todd’s shadow on the walls grew larger and larger. It almost consumed the entirety of the cracked wall. He was angry… _again_. Maybe unusual angry this time around. Kara knew Todd’s shadow version could grow bigger than the tall man himself, but she’d never seen the dark entity like this.

 With an emptied bottle of beer in one hand and his belt in the other, it meant Todd was up to no good. He was looking for someone to put the blame on. This time he didn’t go after Kara but his own daughter. She was hiding somewhere and Todd knew and his shadow knew.

 Kara didn’t know what to do but to stand still, Todd’s orders. Her shadow, on the other hand, knew how to hide. It blended in quietly with the shadows of the normal domestic objects. Yes, even shadows could be afraid.

 When the mad father trampled upstairs and barked the name of his child, Kara’s shadow flinched, making the android flinch as well. Most of the time when the household android felt a strange sense of _forbidden_ self-awaress, she gave her shadow a questioning look, as if her shadow-self knew the answers she herself couldn’t answer.

 This situation brought back that rather unidentifiable feeling, if androids could have feelings to begin with.

Kara looked for her shadow and witnessed silently as it crawled upstairs where Todd was still yelling at his daughter. She couldn’t help but follow her shadow even if it was against Todd’s orders.

 

\--

 

Alice was hiding in her makeshift little tent as she witnessed the two adults fight. Todd growled and shouted slurs no child should hear, his accent thick with alcohol. He and his shadow swung wildly with their arms and the bottle of beer got smashed against the wall. If it wasn’t for Kara’s shadow to quickly dodge the attack, her head would’ve been severely damaged.

 Todd may’ve been an intimidating, aggressive man but Kara’s shadow was persistent, making the android determined as well in protecting the little one who was still hiding.

 A crackling gunshot echoed through the cold house. p

The shadow of the monster on the walls slowly drooped away until there was nothing left but Todd’s lifeless body. Kara took Alice’s hand and started to run. Desperately and shocked, their shadows ran after them.


	2. The world was figured out

Wild, impulsive and intuitional strokes of paint adorned the former white canvas. The skin tones suggested a stretched out hand with a broken chain in it. A strong flash of blue contrasted with the rest of the more monotone colour scheme.

 “Oh my god,” Carl said under his breath as he rolled himself back from the painting to get a clearer view on it. Markus silently observed the painting he just made.

 “What did you feel? What did you think?” the old man asked.

“I-, I don’t exactly know. I’ve never experienced such… thing before,” Markus stammered. He was rather surprised by his own skill to actually draw something from his own imagination without creating an exact copy of an existent object in his surroundings.

 “Maybe you could call it a flow of subconsciousness. Many artists have it but I’m sure everyone has it. Even you, Markus,” the old painter smiled. “And if you don’t believe me, you should ask your shadow over there.” With a trembling hand he pointed at Markus’ shadow who was projected against the rack.

 “My shadow?”

“It seems like your shadow’s starting to become more conscious already,” Carl remarked with a chuckle. “But back to your painting. What do you see? What does it mean?”

 “I see a hand reaching out. And it holds a shackle,” Markus deducted.

“And?” the painter wanted to know more.

 “And it looks like it could stand for freedom. Breaking free from something?” the android guessed.

“Of what, Markus? Breaking free from what?”

 “The constraints of something?” Markus frowned, unsure if that’s what Carl wanted to hear.

“Perhaps. Perhaps breaking free from your own shadow as well,” the old man hummed.

 

\--

 

“Not many people get to break free from their shadow, you know, Markus?” After the frustrating interruption of Leo, Carl and Markus retreated back to the living room. Their shadows obediently followed.

 “Do you think I could break free?” Markus hesitatingly asked.

“Of course, you still have a whole life ahead of you!” Carl waved his hand. He added: “Me on the other hand, not much. Ah, it takes some serious guts, confidence and self-reflection to get rid of your shadow-self. But I’m sure you’ll be able to.”

 “Don’t say such things, Carl. You’re an amazing person,” Markus countered.

“I have my flaws, hence that my shadow is still attached to me. But don’t worry so much about an old man like me,” the older man had an easy-going smile and Markus couldn’t help but smile as well.

 

\--

 

Markus should’ve seen it coming: the passing of the famous painter Carl Manfred. He should’ve noticed how Carl grew weaker together with his shadow. _Mostly_ the man’s shadow. It wasn’t as sharp and dark as it used to be.

And while Carl’s caretaker maybe tried to suppress the undeniable mortality of humans, Markus’ shadow already knew Carl had _really_ reached the final pages of his life.

One time, Markus even witnessed his shadow desperately holding onto Carl’s shadow as if it tried to save the other shadow and the man attached to it. 

 

\--

 

When he crawled out of that nasty junkyard, Markus was a changed man. Not only because he had to replace some parts of his body with new ones but there was something _off_. Initially he couldn’t put a finger on it due to exhaustion and confusion. But afterwards, Markus looked up to the rainy sky and then back to himself and he saw that his shadow was gone.


	3. Old ghosts that we grow atttached to

“What do you mean he didn’t make it?” The painful realization hadn’t completely sunk in yet, but Hank already felt the world around him move in slow-motion. It wouldn’t take long before the whole world would just freeze, together with Hank’s once vivid beating heart. The nurse gave the father of the boy a pitiful smile as she lowered her eyes, fumbled with her fingers and didn’t know what else to say. There wasn’t much to say, anyway.

 

The true realization crashed into Hank once he got home with only a small pack of clothes. _Cole’s_ clothes. Damnit, they were supposed to return home _together_.

 Devastated the man collapsed on the couch. In his hands he held the shirt and jeans of his deceased son. He moulded the clothes into a ball and grit his teeth. He couldn’t look at those darn clothes directly. Just holding the darn fabric put him on the brink of crying. And oh, crying he did. The last time Hank cried was when he held his new-born son in his loving embrace, cradling and soothing the little baby boy.

 The short flashback only made it harder for him when he came back to reality with the silent living room as a painful witness of the emptiness. Even Sumo, his beloved dog, didn’t make a sound. It was like the dog knew and mourned with the father.

 

As night fell, the living room became darker but Hank just didn’t bother to turn on the lights anymore. He didn’t have a reason to. The real light of his life was gone so what did it really matter, were he to sit in the dark like that?

  ** _Hehe, what a shame_** , an unpleasant but familiar voice rasped, seemingly out of nowhere. When Hank didn’t react to the voice, the voice raised its tone.

  ** _I can’t believe they let a piece of plastic do the surgery. If it weren’t for those fucking androids-_**

This time the voice _did_ catch the lieutenant’s attention. Flabbergasted he looked around him to find the source of the sound. A mischievous chuckle had the man jump up from his couch. When Hank saw that his shadow had returned, he fell back.

  ** _Did you miss me?_**

It was the voice of his shadow. No wonder Hank recognized the voice. It almost sounded like him, yet more distorted and twisted.

 “Heck, I didn’t. I thought I got finally rid of you,” the man snorted.

 ** _You did but I came back because you need me again_** **,** the shadow lisped in a honey sweet voice.

 “I don’t need you. I don’t need anybody _but_ my son to come back!” Hank barked and in frustration he grasped the closest object nearby and threw it at his shadow. When he saw it were Cole’s belongings he threw, he fell onto his knees and desperately collected the clothes from the floor.

 “Oh, Cole, I’m so, so sorry,” he wailed.

  ** _You’re pathetic, Hank._**

 

\--

 

After the storm, after all the possible tears that had been cried, there was nothingness. Life went on without the detective. He just sat at home with his dog and his seemingly inseparable shadow watching over his shoulders. The shadow either quietly followed  its owner in a judging way, or it made itself heard with snarky comments and depressing facts of reality. It didn’t really help to get Hank out of his spiralling depression. If not, it made the man’s life worse.

 

 ** _Your son is dead, Hank. Accept it_** **,** the shadow hissed with a hint of amusement in its voice as it leaned over the detective. The man had been drinking again. He looked like a complete wreck, which he actually was.

 “No, no. I’ve seen him. He’s here. Look!” Hank exclaimed and pointed at some dark, blurry patches on the wall. His head lulled to the side, indicating the clear sozzled state he was in.

 “He’s here. The vucking s-shadow’s vthere, can’t you see?” the man barked at his shadow.

**_Look closer, Hank._ **

Since he didn’t have something better to do, Hank obeyed his shadow and looked.

 “Fuck.”

His shadow, although the lieutenant hated to admit, was right. His son wasn’t here. He had mistook the dirty paint for Cole’s shadow.


	4. Let it go, let it go

One of the many WR600 was just minding its own business when a small group suddenly approached the android.

 “Watering the plants, huh,” one of the group members huffed as the group encircled the android, slowly isolating  it from the humans and other androids.

 “Yes, don’t you think these flowers are blooming just wonderfully at this time of the season?” the android smiled. Its basic interaction with the group got greeted by a strong punch in its face.

At first WR600 didn’t seem to be really affected. Instead the android just rubbed over its cheek as if it were just a scratch. “Excuse me, gentlemen, but now I really need to tend to the flora here.” The android tried walking away but now another gang member stuck his foot out, causing the WR600 to trip and fall flat on its face. It got the whole group laughing.

 “You see this shit? Piece of plastic shit is even too stupid to defend itself or see a punch coming!”

 

\--

 

**_Something’s not right. Something’s not fair._ **

Confused the WR600 took in its surroundings. It was no longer in the safe parks of Detroit. It was in some kind of back alley of a shady neighbourhood. When it observed its arms it saw they were damaged. “I should head back to my owner and see if he can have these parts repaired,” the android muttered to itself. However, it didn’t get the chance.

 The only way out was through a gate that was guarded by a human. If the android’s memory wasn’t corrupted, the human was one of the attackers.

“Still kicking huh? Even after all that beating you got,” another human popped up and approached the android. He carried a metal bat and an evil smirk.

  ** _This is dangerous. Get out of here._**

The android heard something ringing in the back of its head. Was this a malfunction?  When it threw a look at the ground, it saw its own shadow. The shadow seemed pleading, even _scared_ of what might come.

 

\--

 

Shadows hardly intervened with their owner’s bodily actions but this time the android’s shadow did. Unable to see its physical ‘counterpart’ being tortured and ridiculed like that by these disgusting humans, the shadow made a run for it.

  ** _This was unfair. They were hurting you._**

Much time to process it all, the android didn’t get. The delinquents were chasing him with their knives and sharp gazes and hateful slangs. Their shadows reached out, trying to catch the android and its shadow but the chasers weren’t as agile as them.

 After an exhausting chase through the city, the attackers gave up and so did the shadow. Tired of playing the puppet master it gave the android control over its body again and WR600 fell into the muddy canal of a construction site, not so far from the city.

 

\--

 

“W-What’s going on?” the former gardener ‘woke up’ confused.

**_We’re safe now._ **

“W-Who’s safe?”

  ** _We. You._** The shadow looked around and tried to soothe the wounded android. Then it found some magazine, partially covered in dirt and sand. On the cover there was a name written.

  ** _Ralph. Ralph’s going to be okay. Ralph just needs a new safe place to hide and then everything will be fine. Just don’t run into humans._**

 “Why not? What happened?” the freshly named android stammered.

 ** _Humans tried to hurt Ralph. They tried to do mean things to him. Check for yourself._** The shadow lifted its hand, making Ralph lift his hand as well.

 The hand touched the roughened up cheek. A deep wound drew dark blue blood. Ralph gasped.

**_Don’t worry, Ralph. We’re not going to let anyone hurt us again. Ever._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, i felt so bad for Ralph when i first encountered him ;_; and then i read his wiki page and, gosh.  
> I rly hope he'll do okay


End file.
